Carl Hartzell, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, said Ukraine’s military intelligence allegations were serious and that the parties should continue to exchange information on the issue. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kulba said in a statement that the country was waiting for evidence from Georgia that it was not assisting Russia.
“There are grave accusations from the Ukrainian military intelligence, and we must take them very seriously.
The Georgian authorities have an obvious answer that there is no such risk and practice. As for me, I can say that I don’t have any details. As far as I know, it is vital that the parties continue to exchange details to cope with this situation”, Carl Hartzell informed reporters.
Dmitry Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, said he expects Georgia to provide convincing arguments that no smuggling is taking place on its land.
“If we hadn’t persuaded Georgia and other nations through which the Russians are trying to bypass sanctions, they would have done it a long time ago, and the impact of sanctions on Russia would have been minimal.
This is what we have to do every day. We will continue to cooperate with partners. If we are unable to influence the country, we will find a country that can do it, and we will work to ensure the Russian Federation does not circumvent sanctions”, Kuleba noted.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported on April 4 that Russia was constructing a smuggling route across Georgian territory. The Georgian political leadership, according to the allegations, permitted Russia to transport sanctioned items through its borders.
As per the sources, the intelligence officers stated that there is one channel for the transfer of military items to the Russian Federation – East Asia – is already known. Georgia will be another channel through which the occupying nation will get spare parts for equipment, electronics and optical instruments.
The Georgian Security Service issued a special statement in response. In response to legal action, the agency urges Ukraine to provide evidence as soon as possible.
The agency met with a representative of the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgia yesterday to exchange information, according to the Security Service. During the discussion, SUS enquired about the reasons for sharing this information and asked for more details on the subject.
